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News Magazine of Homebased Workers in Southeast Asia Vol. 10 No. 1 March 2012

EDITORIAL

FAIR TRADE FOR HOMEBASED WORKERS

AMIDST CLIMATE CHANGE

Fair Trade is an economic partnership based on dialogue, transparency, and respect. It creates opportunities for economi-cally and socially marginalized producers. It helps develop transparent and accountable relationships between buyers and sellers in the international trading system. It enhances and de-velops capacity of producers while at the same time supporting safe and empowering working conditions. It promotes gender equity and social protection for workers while helping to elimi-nate child labor. Equally important is that it cultivates environ-mental stewardship and respect for cultural identity as well as care for natural resources.

Fair Trade embraces a holistic development approach be-cause it creates a long-term impact on producers while deliver-ing better products to the public, thus contributing to the devel-opment of communities. Producers are able to access basic resources and services from the higher returns on their earnings derived from a fair trade environment. Fair prices for quality products entail lower cost because of the elimination of middle-men; thus producers enjoy greater profit for their products. Patronizing fair trade products can also contribute significantly to address the adverse impacts and threats of climate change especially on homebased workers in terms of production, raw materials sourcing, livelihood and income opportunities, and generating green jobs.

Homebased workers are very capable of producing products using raw materials that are environmental friendly. The inno-vativeness of HBWs in creating products out of recyclable ma-terials has been amply shown many times. Demonstrating the use of “green products” will be beneficial to women home-based workers considering the gender issues and concerns re-lated to calamities and disasters. Such issues and concerns also need to be addressed in the context of Homenet Southeast Asia’s continuing campaign for inclusive and comprehensive social protection including occupational safety and health. Women homebased workers especially those in poverty tend to rely more than men on natural resources to produce various products to earn a living. Women in the informal econ-omy including HBWs are the ones mostly affected by adverse consequences related to climate change because their raw ma-terials, such as fiber for textile weaving, are derived from ag-ricultural produce . Communities that are engaged in fiber pro-duction and dependent on other crops to produce various crafts need to increase their adaptive capabilities especially on cli-mate sensitive resources such as water and to natural outbreaks such as insect infestations. Changes in temperature and rainfall patterns directly affect crop yields, livelihoods and economic activities of communities engaged in various productive activi-ties including those for their own household needs. Coping strategies to address changing women’s needs and priorities may be learned and adopted from HBWs from participating Homenets. Their involvement in developing new technologies that are user-friendly, effective, sustainable and appropriate for women HBWs can be highlighted in the context of fair trade.

Table of Contents

FAIR TRADE FOR HOMEBASED WORKERS 1 SUBREGIONAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY AND ELECTIONS 4 HIGHLIGHTS OF HOMENET SEA’S THREE-YEAR ACCOMPLISHMENTS – 2009-2011 5 AAC PRESENTS VARIOUS FACETS OF FAIR TRADE FROM THE CAMBODIAN EXPERIENCE 8 TEN PRINCIPLES OF FAIR TRADE 9 PRACTICAL CONCERNS TOWARD EFFECTIVE INVOLVEMENT IN FAIR TRADE 11 SOLIDARITY ECONOMY AND FAIR TRADE ISSUES IN INDONESIA 12 FAIR TRADE CONCERNS IN LAOS 12 PRACTICING FAIR TRADE: MUTUAL AID AND SUPPORT MOVEMENT ON THE GROUND:The Philippine Report 13 FAIR TRADE PRACTICE: HOMENET THAILAND 14 HOW CRAFT LINK PRACTICES FAIR TRADE IN VIETNAM 15 ICT AND ITS RELEVANCE IN FAIR TRADE TO FACILITATE MARKETING OF HBW PRODUCTS: THE MALAYSIAN EXPERIENCE 16 STRENGTHENING LIVELIHOOD INITIATIVES FOR HOMEBASED WORKERS IN SAARC REGION 17

SRW 2012 PHOTO GALLERY 18 NEWSBITS 19 HNSEA Visioning Workshop, 23-24 February 2011, Bangkok 19 Review Meeting & Project Management Training 5-8 December 2011, Dhaka 19 Inclusive Cities Annual Learning Meeting, Lima, Peru,November 16 – 18, 2011 20 FIESS International Forum on the Social and Solidarity Economy, Montreal, Canada 21

Homenet Southeast Asia Newsmagazine

#126B Maginhawa St. Teachers Village Diliman, Quezon City, PHILIPPINES Telefax (632) 345 5378 Email: hnsea2005@gmail.com Website: www.homenetseasia.org

EDITORIAL BOARD Rosalinda Pineda-Ofreneo

Cecilia Susiloretno Lourdes Gula

Khanthon Phamuang Men Sinoeun

Poonsap Tulaphan

Cover Designer and Layout Artist: Myrna Velasco-Magbitang

Creating Solidarity Economy to ensure decent work conditions

for homebased workers in Southeast Asia 17-20 October 2011 Montreal, Canada

Poonsap S. Tulaphan EDITOR’S NOTE: Poonsap S. Tulaphan represented

HomeNet Southeast Asia and had a chance to share experiences of member countries of HNSEA working toward this goal with others in the International Forum on the Social and Solidarity Economy held on 17-20 October 2011 at Montreal, Quebec, Can-ada. There were more than 1,000 participants comprising of pro-moters, researchers, funders, NGOs, government officials, civil society organizations, and social movements from Quebec, Can-ada and more than 50 countries from the Americas, Africa, Europe and Asia who shared their experiences in the forum. Ex-periences of citizens from Montreal in creating solidarity econ-omy through numbers of projects were shared with visitors through a study trip. Workshop sharing regarding labor issues came up that workers in formal system and workers in informal economy need to support each other to create a Solidarity Econ-omy Society. There are a number of activities that need to be fur-ther developed such as organizing workers in informal economy, raise their voice, visibility and validity, creating linkages between formal and informal workers and linking them with consumers and government projects.

As employment and production is predominantly governed by glob-alized and liberalized trade and while pricing and production proc-esses are practiced under market

mechanisms, informal workers still have access to work, but it cannot be considered decent work because the workers have no power to bargain for fair wages and improve their working condi-tions to enhance their quality of life. In such a system, workers are considered as a production factor. Their dignity is not re-spected so are their economic and social rights to attain a better quality of life. Informal workers should not be confined in such an economic and trade system. Better alternatives should be pro-vided to enhance their work and livelihood.

“Solidarity Economy” is based on mutual help. Its pri-mary goal is not profitability, but to serve producers, communi-ties and consumers. Through participation of stakeholders and democratic means, it strives to strengthen and increase bargaining power of the vulnerable groups. It provides for an economy in which all parties shall be involved in acting and thinking together for the better quality of life of all. The essential basis to make possible Solidarity Economy is self-sufficient production and consumption and refraining from mutual exploitation. The new way of living together under this economy should rest on fair-ness, participation, non-exploitation, and tolerance. Cooperatives organizing and other form of cooperation between consumers, producers and government agencies created around the world to cope with the problem.

HOMENET PHILIPPINES After four years of working together, the 27 informal workers’ organiza-tions under the Homenet Philippines decided to formalize the network by holding its founding congress last May 6, 2011. The past years, Homenet Philippines has proved its capacity to respond to issues faced by the homebased and other informal workers such as its active in-volvement in the passage of the Magna Carta for Workers in Informal Employment (MACWIE) bill. Currently, the network is represented in the NEDA Sub-Committee on Social Protection through PATAMABA and in the National Tripartite Advisory Council (NTAC) where issues of informal workers were pushed leading to the signing by trade union federations and centers on the resolution for the ratification of ILOC177 on Homework. The formalization of the network is an expression of the commitment and solidarity of its member-organizations to continue fighting for the interests of informal workers at the local, national and international levels.

The official delegates who attended the Congress adopted the Constitu-tion and By-Laws and elected the members of the National Council. The historic occasion was also attended by representatives coming from the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP), Social Security System (SSS), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Center for Labor Justice (CLJ), the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) and the Office of Representative Angara who all ex-pressed support to the issues of informal workers. ECOP Sr Adviser for International Affairs Mr Joey Molina expressed their support to the informal workers particularly homeworkers, being once a homeworker himself. Atty. Dolfie Tobias-Shalim, Head of the Social Techonology Bureau of DSWD read the message of Secretary Corazon ‘Dinky” Soliman. In her message, the Secretary stated that DSWD and Homenet can work together in creating awareness to pro-tect HBWs as well as lobby for policies and legislation particularly the ratification of ILO C177. Ms. Leian Marasigan of CLJ, on behalf of Prof. Rene Ofreneo, expressed support in pushing for the passage of MACWIE and for the ratification of the ILO C177. Ms. Nora Mercado, Department Head, Self Employed Voluntary Members Program Man-agement Department (SEVMPMD), in her solidarity message said that SSS is pursuing their reach to the informal sector. The message from Chairperson Remy Rikken of the PCW emphasized solidarity of the Philippine Commission on Women in celebration of the informal work-ers’ day and in the campaign for the ratification of the ILO C177. Teddy Nono from the Office of Congressman Angara extended the latter’s congratulations to Homenet Philippines and assures their sup-port to the cause of all informal workers. In the said activity, Rhoda Avila of DSWP who was later elected as the Chair of the Legislative and Advocacy Committee, updated the body on the status of the MACWIE Bill.

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CONTACTS AND NETWORK LINKS

PHILIPPINES ROSALINDA PINEDA OFRENEO Regional Coordinator HomeNet Southeast Asia Address: 126-B Maginhawa St. U.P. Village, Diliman Quezon City, Philippines 1100 Telefax.: (632) 355-5378 E-mail: hnsea2005@gmail.com; indayofreneo@gmail.com Website: www.homenetseasia.org

LOURDES A. GULA Vice President Homenet Philippines Address: #38 Maginhawa St., U.P. Village, Diliman Quezon City, Philippines Telefax.: (632) 921-6469 E-mail: patamaba@gmail.com Website: www.homenetseasia.org/philippines

INDONESIA CECILIA SUSILORETNO National Coordinator Mitra Wanita Pekerja Rumahan Indonesia (MWPRI) Homenet Indonesia Taman Raden Intan Kav. 402 Malang, Jawa Timar, Indonesia Tel: (62-341) 474161; Fax (62-341) 495323 E-mail: hnetindo@gmail.com

THAILAND POONSAP S. TULAPHAN Manager Foundation for Labour and Employment Promotion (HomeNet Thailand) 677/6 Soi Ladphrao 5/1, Ladphrao Rd, Ladyao, Chatujak, Bangkok 10900 Thailand Tel 02 -5139242 Fax 02-5138959 Email; center@homenetthailand.org Website: www. homenetthailand.org

LAO PDR KHANTHONE PHAMUANG Chairperson Environment Conservation and Community Develop-ment Association (ECCDA) Homenet Laos Atkat Village, Sikottabong District, Vientiane Province TeleFax: (8560 21) 244-184 E-mail: pkhanthon@yahoo.com

CAMBODIA MEN SINOEUN Executive Director Artisans’ Association of Cambodia (AAC) #11B, Street 240, S Kat Chaktomuok, Phnom Penh, Cambodia GPO Box No. 1303 Tel: (855 23) 213 904; (855 12) 790 735 Fax No: (855 23) 220 150 E-mail: aac@online.com.kh Website: www.aac.org.kh

VIET NAM TRAN TUYET LAN General Manager Craft Link 41-43 Van Mieu, Hanoi, Viet Nam Tel.: (844) 37336101 Fax (844)38437926 Email: craftlink@fpt,vn MALAYSIA Chong Sheau Ching Executive Director eHomemakers No 28, Lorong Burhanuddin Helm Helmi 3, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, KL, 60000, Malaysia Email: scchong@ehomemakers.net adminsupport@ehomemakers.net Tel: 03-77319896

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